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SQM readings
I have returned from a family holiday to Ballandean in the Granite Rock area of SE QLD and I took not only my SDM 16” but also my sky quality meter.
I tested the sky at different times on successive nights (4 nights) and, at midnight got readings of between 21.67 and 22.34! That came as a surprise as I didn’t even know it could read 22 anything. It was the darkest sky I have ever seen. Does anyone know if there is a max reading possible? Would the middle of the Simpson desert read 23 something?
I smiled when taking a reading about an hour after the sun set because it was 18.4 which is about what I get at best in my garden in Brisbane!
Duckadang and the QLD Astrofest reads typically 21.7 or so.
Regarding transparency I think if there was say mist the ambient star light would be diffuse causing a worse reading so to that extent the meter will act as an indicator. The SQM is most useful when used in your usual observing site multiple times across the year because better readings on some nights may well indicate less smearing of ambient light.
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